Ski Club 2.0 Home
Snow Reports
FAQFAQ

Mail for help.Help!!

Log in to snowHeads to make it MUCH better! Registration's totally free, of course, and makes snowHeads easier to use and to understand, gives better searching, filtering etc. as well as access to 'members only' forums, discounts and deals that U don't even know exist as a 'guest' user. (btw. 50,000+ snowHeads already know all this, making snowHeads the biggest, most active community of snow-heads in the UK, so you'll be in good company)..... When you register, you get our free weekly(-ish) snow report by email. It's rather good and not made up by tourist offices (or people that love the tourist office and want to marry it either)... We don't share your email address with anyone and we never send out any of those cheesy 'message from our partners' emails either. Anyway, snowHeads really is MUCH better when you're logged in - not least because you get to post your own messages complaining about things that annoy you like perhaps this banner which, incidentally, disappears when you log in :-)
Username:-
 Password:
Remember me:
👁 durr, I forgot...
Or: Register
(to be a proper snow-head, all official-like!)

Freeride boot selection

 Poster: A snowHead
Poster: A snowHead
Hi there,

touring becoming rarer in my skiing schedule, I am looking for a boot:

-somewhat strong
-narrow/LV (foot is 99-100ish)
-Gripwalk or AT sole +DYN inserts
-cuff canting (!!!)

Ideas?

thanks in adcance!
ski holidays
 Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Technica Mach1 with a aftermarket Cast Conversion. Boot will only work with Cast / Shift / or Duke PT bindings.
snow report
 Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Shift would be fine.
Another ski has Warden MNC, would that work for inbounds skiing?
ski holidays
 You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
danbre2022 wrote:
Shift would be fine.
Another ski has Warden MNC, would that work for inbounds skiing?


Yes. Sorry I could have been a bit more clear. Meant to say that choice of touring bindings is limited to the bindings I mentioned.
snow report
 Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
@danbre2022, your biggest challenge in that type of boot is going to be cuff adjustment, very few boots have any adjustability in the cuff due to the hike mode having to interface between lower shell and cuff at whatever angle it is set to, the only exception i can think about would be the Rossi All track elite 130, but asides that all the brands make a 97/98 or 99/100 boot in this category

all depends what fits your foot shape well
snow conditions
 You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
Couple of years ago CEM put me in the Lange Freetour 130. Very, very happy with them. Essentially an alpine boot with a walk mode and tech fittings. Walk mode sucks and they are heavy but that's the performance compromise. Cuff adjustment is on the outer side of the boot but works well.

Successor boot is the XT3 130. Also comes in a low volume model. As others have said, needs to fit your foot. There is a 140 available if you really need it.
snow conditions
 Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
I'd also say that I find one of the main things in using a heavy boot is the importance of taking weight out of the binding. I've got shifts on my freeride skis and plum pikas on my touring skis. The latter helps offset the 2kg weight of the Langes.
ski holidays
 After all it is free Go on u know u want to!
After all it is free Go on u know u want to!
I have tried a wide range of boots today. Nordica Promachine had the best fit overall except some shin issues.

So I can say I need a 98mm last I think.

Cochise 120, too roomy.

Will have a look at the Lange. Isn't Lange on the upright side of the equation?

I am coming from a 15deg lean Dynafit boot (Zzero4C Full carbon cuff Green Machine, to be specific)

I would even say that 97/98 last and cant adjustment are priorities now. DYN fitting more of a "nice to have".
ski holidays
 You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
@danbre2022, just get an Alpine boot and use your old boots for touring? I do almost all my freeride days most on a pure alpine boot as the freeride boots just don’t feel as supportive to me - I have both the Speed machine 130 and the Stryder 130 from Nordica
ski holidays
 Ski the Net with snowHeads
Ski the Net with snowHeads
Quote:

Will have a look at the Lange. Isn't Lange on the upright side of the equation?


Mine are advertised as being 12 degrees without the removable spoiler and 14 degrees with the spoiler. Not sure how comparable those numbers are between different brands. I run them without the spoilers but my calves are massive.
latest report
 snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
As @BobinCH says, alpine is an option but I benefit a lot from only travelling with one pair of boots. Two is a pain.
snow conditions
 And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
@gorilla, the rossi in the 98mm last might work for you then, it is the only one with pins AND cuff alignment
snow conditions
 So if you're just off somewhere snowy come back and post a snow report of your own and we'll all love you very much
So if you're just off somewhere snowy come back and post a snow report of your own and we'll all love you very much
It's only one-sided so maybe limited in range.

anyway, I may have to give the rossi a try.

but then: don't lange xt 130 free's have a cant rivet? looks like they have?

btw found the cochise pretty unimpressive in the shop, softish backwards (yet reasonably high), softly padded, quite roomy, just could't imagine they would ski great. I like a much closer-to-foot feel.
snow report
 You know it makes sense.
You know it makes sense.
Dalbello Lupo ticks all your boxes and skis/tours great. IIRC only the 130 comes in a 98mm last (the others are 100mm), but as all the forward stiffness comes from the tongues you can just buy different tongues if you prefer a softer flex.
ski holidays
 Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Pretty impressed with my new Dynafit Hoji Free 110 boots for all round ski/touring use (I prefer a softer flexing boot, particularly off -piste)

Thing I particularly like with them is the walk -mode lever is linked to the top 2 buckles, so brilliant for transition to skinning/walking and great for cranking the boot up tight Toofy Grin
latest report
 Poster: A snowHead
Poster: A snowHead
Last width reads wide on that one though?
latest report
 Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
@danbre2022,
Quote:
Last width reads wide on that one though?

I would say it's a snug fit for me - their spec says 102mm and
Quote:
Hoji Free 110 unisex ski touring boot wins big points for its stability for Free touring and its slim fit.

Guess it's quite subjective as my old Sarpa Maestrale claim to be 101mm, and the Hoji feels snugger
latest report
 Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
danbre2022 wrote:
It's only one-sided so maybe limited in range.

anyway, I may have to give the rossi a try.

but then: don't lange xt 130 free's have a cant rivet? looks like they have?

btw found the cochise pretty unimpressive in the shop, softish backwards (yet reasonably high), softly padded, quite roomy, just could't imagine they would ski great. I like a much closer-to-foot feel.


one side is all you are going to get, and a decent boot fitter can extend that range

as for the lange, nope its just a frictionless pivot not adjustable
ski holidays
 You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
@danbre2022,
You could consider the Dalbello Lupo 130c or the model up with more carbon in it (can't remember what it is called Lupo Factory or something). It's a 98mm last with a snug heel pocket and some cant adjustment. I like them but that's on my feet Very Happy Very Happy
snow report
 Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
@danbre2022, why the cuff canting so important?
latest report
 You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
@CEM, those Rossis come in a very attractive baby poop brown done they? Shocked
latest report
 Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Arno wrote:
@CEM, those Rossis come in a very attractive baby poop brown done they? Shocked
we prefer to call it "desert storm"
snow conditions
 After all it is free Go on u know u want to!
After all it is free Go on u know u want to!
under a new name wrote:
@danbre2022, why the cuff canting so important?


Because with nothing done, I never have my soles flat on the ground. May nobody has, but I tend to notice. More specifically, I will end up standing on the outer/lateral edges of the boot soles, hence sluggish inside edges and knees tracking inwards wgen bent. Insoles can improve that, cuff canting on top can get me very close. At the Moment, I have like a centimeter thick of stiff foam glued to the medial/inside of my liners so the cuffs are forced inward relative to femur. Result mimics canting.
snow conditions
 You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
Tried on Scarpa Quattro XT again yesterday and damn these are nice. Will have to go 28 shell but effective BSL is barely longer than now. Only question is, will I get my knees to track right in these? If so, I am tempted.
ski holidays
 Ski the Net with snowHeads
Ski the Net with snowHeads
Another vote for Lange xt130 (if they fit you). Superb boot - bombproof and the liner just keeps on going. Stiff, awesome feel and lively flex.

They certainly ain’t too heavy to tour on and the walk mode is good enough - I do a full week ski mountaineering each year on them in Norway no problem.
snow conditions
 snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
I have immediate ankle bone pain in langes. but agreed, stiffness and cuff height are great.

Found another problem with replacing my boots with Scarpa Quattro: While they end uoo in the same angle as the old ones in Bindings with AFD adjustment, they will drop toes 4-5mm in a MNC to to the Gripwalk sole cutout.
snow report
 And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
That's roughly 9 degrees extra ramp if trigonometry applies wink

If m favorite ski at the Moment (BC Serpo) hadn't atomic MMCs I' d go Quattro in a heartbeat
ski holidays
 So if you're just off somewhere snowy come back and post a snow report of your own and we'll all love you very much
So if you're just off somewhere snowy come back and post a snow report of your own and we'll all love you very much
I've just done a week in hired Lange XT3 120s, and liked them enough that I'll likely be buying a pair of XT3s (probably the 130s) soon enough. Firm enough to cope with pretty much anything on the downhill, and the high flexibility in walk mode meant they were great when skinning or bootpacking (& with two days of fresh snow in Alagna on Monday and Tuesday on top of a more or less absent base, there was a lot of walking to get to good snow).
ski holidays
 You know it makes sense.
You know it makes sense.
danbre2022 wrote:
I have immediate ankle bone pain in langes. but agreed, stiffness and cuff height are great.

Found another problem with replacing my boots with Scarpa Quattro: While they end uoo in the same angle as the old ones in Bindings with AFD adjustment, they will drop toes 4-5mm in a MNC to to the Gripwalk sole cutout.


Ah that's annoying but yes for me, stiffness, cuff height (and lean angle) are spot on.
ski holidays



Terms and conditions  Privacy Policy